Franciscan 3, Thiel 0

Franciscan Starters 
Mary Jean Cadman, Sarah Clyde, Tessa Miller, Logan Hickey, Mary Smart, Therese Heisler, and libero - Kaitlan Hickey

How It Happened 
Franciscan hosted the top-ranked team in the PAC North Division, Thiel, on Saturday. The Barons did not look like the lower-ranked team, as they dominated this match from start to finish. 

The Barons dominated the service line in the early going on set one, as they forced Thiel to use some early substitutions and timeouts. The Barons combined to have nine service aces in the opening set, with Kaitlan Hickey having four of them. The Barons only had six kills, but that was plenty. Logan Hickey had three of those kills, as she became just the fourth Baron to have 300+ kills in a season. The score was tied just once, as Franciscan controlled this one to a 25-16 win.

Franciscan continued their strong play in the second set. They doubled their kill production from the opening set, while not recording a service ace, but that did not matter. Hickey led the Barons with seven kills in this set. Clyde, Miller, and Heisler each had solo blocks to keep the momentum going for Franciscan. Franciscan cruised to a 25-17 win to take a 2-0 lead.

The third set had a much closer start, as action was back-and-forth. Thiel had the lead just once in the first two sets, but they held the lead on three different occasions in the third. Cadman was the catalyst in the third with five kills. Franciscan defense at the net was superior as well. On the day they out-blocked the Tomcats 10-1. The Barons even added three more kills in the third, as they pulled away late to take the set 25-16.

The Barons have now beaten the Tomcats in two consecutive matches in Steubenville. With the win, the Barons jump into a tie for third in the PAC South, and Hiram falls to #2 in the PAC North. 

Inside the Numbers 
- Logan Hickey led the Barons with 14 kills.
- Cadman led the Barons with a .412 attack percentage
- Kaitlan Hickey had 22 digs, four aces, and a perfect reception percentage.
- Sarah Clyde had six total blocks.
- Thiel had 26 attack errors to Franciscan's 13.
- Mary Smart had 28 set assists.

Up Next
Franciscan resumes play at Bethany on Wednesday, October 22nd, at 6:00 p.m. This will be their second meeting of the season, as the Barons swept the Bison in Steubenville in September. The Barons have now beaten their local rival in four consecutive matches. A Franciscan win would give them the head-to-head tiebreaker over Bethany if needed in the final playoff seeding at the end of the regular season.

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